What NCA registration is, why the category matters for your project, and how to check that a contractor is genuinely registered.
What NCA registration is
The National Construction Authority regulates the construction industry in Kenya. Contractors must be registered with it to carry out construction works lawfully, and registration is renewed periodically rather than granted once.
Registration is not a formality. It requires the authority to be satisfied about a contractor’s financial standing, equipment and the qualifications of its technical staff. An unregistered contractor is a legal risk to you as well as to themselves.
How the categories work
Contractors are graded into categories numbered NCA 1 through NCA 8. NCA 1 is the highest grade and NCA 8 the entry level. The number is a ceiling: it caps the value of a single project a contractor in that category is permitted to undertake, with NCA 1 the least restricted.
Categories also run separately across different classes of work — building works, roads, water, electrical and mechanical are registered independently. A contractor may hold a high category in one class and a lower one in another, so check the category for the class of work your project actually is.
The specific monetary ceilings attached to each category are set by the Authority and revised from time to time. Check the current figures on the NCA website rather than relying on a number quoted elsewhere.
Which category your project needs
You do not need the highest category available — you need one whose ceiling comfortably exceeds your project value in the relevant class of work. Appointing a contractor whose category sits below your project value creates a real problem: the appointment may be invalid, and it can complicate insurance, financing and any dispute that follows.
Jossie Construction Limited is registered in NCA 3 for building works, and in NCA 4 for both water works and civil works. Where an enquiry sits above the ceiling for the relevant category we say so at enquiry stage rather than at tender. It is a simple eligibility question and it is cheaper for everyone to answer it early.
How to verify a contractor before you sign
Before appointing anyone, take twenty minutes to check the following:
- Confirm the registration directly with the NCA rather than accepting a certificate at face value — certificates are easy to fabricate and easy to let lapse.
- Check that registration is current, not expired, and covers the correct class of work.
- Confirm the category ceiling is above your project value.
- Ask for the site-specific NCA project registration, which is separate from contractor registration.
- Ask for two or three contactable references on completed projects of comparable type, and actually call them.
- Visit a site the contractor currently has running. How a live site is kept tells you more than any brochure.